This is my first time writing about books and reading, it's one of my more recent hobbies. As a child I hated reading, I believe that's because it was forced onto us. I always thought I didn't enjoy books until I realised this year I do in fact love reading, I just wasn't reading the right books.
At the end of this book it had a series of 'book club' questions which gave me the idea to turn my thoughts into a blog post. This isn't a review, but more me discussing the book and my opinions with the help of the handy questions! So beware, spoilers ahead!! I also hope to do this for other books I read in the future if I enjoy writing this one!
This is your last warning: spoilers will be in this (and future bookclub) posts! I Recommend reading the book first - so if you plan on giving The guilty couple a read, turn back now! I'd also love to hear your opinions if you've read it, so drop a comment with your views!
Question one: Was Olivia Sutherland a relatable character? Did you agree with all the decisions she made?
This is tricky because when reading from Olivia's point of view she was relatable in her thought process and rambling however for me, she was a tad posh, despite the fact she kept saying during the book she didn't feel like she was as posh as people were making her out to be. She was a little on the posh side, but reflecting on the book that seems more to do with the fact she was with Dominic and his mega rich, stuck up parents. So many decisions she made I was clenching onto that book and screaming no. For example: when she went to Grace's school and got out of the car to see her. That was a big no no! Apart from clearing her name the next thing she was determined to do was to get Grace back and to make up for lost time and I felt like getting out the car to surprise see her was a big mistake. A lot of the decisioned she made to try and get the evidence had my heart beating fast, I was on the edge of my seat thinking; what if she gets caught, what if it goes wrong? But it made sense to do what she did, she needed to prove herself right and get Grace back, and she had supportive friends (well, some of them) and Smithy by her side to help with the stealing aspect. Although not clearing her name at the end of the book AND letting Dani go was something I disagree with. I would maybe understand letting Dani stay free if her and Dani spoke more about the situation and about Dani's sister although with nothing said between them it felt weird she didn't snitch on her. I understand she was happy to have Grace back but if I was in Olivia's shoes I would've wanted to clear my name and make everyone involved go to jail, especially because Olivia told everyone in jail she was going to clear her name, if she had, all those prisoners and guards would've been shook that she was actually telling the truth, but now they'd still laugh at her and think what a fool.
Question two: How much sympathy did you have for Dani? Do you think she received a just punishment at the end of the book?
Not at all!! Olivia should have snitched on her, although I understand why she handed the evidence over to Dani, it didn't stop her raising an investigation with the police. After all, I'm sure there would've been some other evidence AND the police would've interrogated Dominic and we all know he wanted to see Dani go to jail if he did - I'm surprised Dominic didn't drag her down. I do have a small amount of sympathy for her, but that's mainly towards her mum and her sister. Dani was relying on someone she KNEW she couldn't 100% trust to basically save her sister's life. She has a stable job with a high rank of detective. Why couldn't she ask for a pay rise or promotion? take on extra over time? It was like she couldn't be bothered to actually work for the money and let's be honest, she didn't need to put her sister is the fanciest, most expensive rehab. Why not just do the one she could afford? surely something is better than nothing? She cared more about her coworkers finding out her sister was a druggy rather than actually getting her sister help in my opinion. The end of the book did spark interest though between Olivia and Dani's texts so I'm curious if there will be a spinoff and if so, what type of punishment Dani will really get.
Question three: Would you have trusted Smithy with such precious evidence after she'd colluded with Dani? Was Olivia foolish to trust her?
Based on what we know of Smithy and Olivia's friendship, probably, being in prison together surely will strengthen any bond between friends and I believe Olivia could really tell how sorry Smithy was and how smithy wasn't intentionally trying to sabotage Olivia's shot at proving her innocence HOWEVER if I was Olivia, I have too many trust issues and wouldn't have planned to hand over the evidence although it would be risky to take it to the restaurant. What if the police had somehow followed her and she was caught with all the evidence? I think of that and the risk of her going to jail but surely if the police then checked the evidence she would be free? She might spent the day in jail for breaching the rules of her release but when they realise she was unlawfully made guilty of a crime she didn't commit she would be a free women? Out of everyone, Smithy seems to be the right person to have trusted but she did end up nearly dying and lost the evidence she did what she could to keep it safe. Although if Olivia gave it to Nancy, Smithy wouldn't have been injured, imagine what could've happened it Nancy had her hands on it straight away.
Question four: Dominic only acted the way he did because he was black-mailed and manipulated by other people and forced into a corner. Do you agree or disagree with this statement.
THIS is a difficult question. because I can see that Dominic felt forced into a corner and seen that he had no way out but he also caused that himself. If he never committed fraud then he would've never had Jack after him for money which led to the downfall. We don't really learn much else from Dominic / Matt's past. What if fraud wasn't the worse thing he did, it was only what he got caught doing? And he might've even just been a right dick, maybe he didn't do anything else 'illegal' but he could've been a manipulative person. His behaviour as Dominic screams crazy. Although he felt pressured into doing a lot of the things he did. He made the conscious decision to cheat on Olivia, he decided to beat Jack up, although the ending added the twist that Nancy actually finished him off and killed him. If they had called an ambulance to help Jack, Dominic would've ended up in prison anyway, or at minimum community service - which would've bought up Matt Platt. There was many times where Dominic seemed to enjoy what he was doing. He did seem on edge and anxious a lot of the time regarding being caught and the evidence he had stored in his safe although he seemed to like the fact that Olivia didn't have custody over Grace and she wanted it badly. When he was texting her pretending to be Grace he was happy at the thought he was taunting Olivia. That isn't how you'd act if you had been forced into this situation. If Olivia and Dominic were happily married and they didn't cheat on each other and Jack never came back I do believe it's in Dominics personality to behave like such a psychopath that in the future something else would've happened and caused death, lies and blackmailing.
Question five: At the end of the book Olivia states that Jack may have set out to seduce her in order to blackmail Dominic but he ended up falling in love with her. What do you think would have happened if he'd survived?
My answer for this would depend on whether Olivia and Jack was to end up in Jail. They'd both have a better chance of proving they're innocent - but a thought that just crossed my mind. If Olivia kept on telling police she was innocent and she was confused why Jack went into hiding, why didn't no one check the lock up? That's the number one place people hide evidence and surely they would still need proof that Dominic was telling the truth, not just from the words of Dani? To me, surely the police would've checked the storage unit? Back to the question. I feel like I dont know much about Jack to say whether he would just walk out of Olivia's life or whether he loved her back. But I do think he did only go and see her to blackmail Dominic even more. If scenario one happened where Jack left after all was revealed and Olivia and Dominic's marriage was ruined forever, I feel like Olivia would be happy without Dominic, even if she stayed single and she would've fought for custody of Grace. Jack would've told Olivia about Dominic's past as Matt - which would help in the custody fight. If jack did stay with Olivia and loved her, it would've been a romance book, but I think that the two would've at least attempted to take down Dominic and Dani.
Question six: Nancy, Dominic, Jack and Dani were all villainous in their own but how would you rank them rom most to villainous to least?
Nancy
Dominic
Dani
Jack
And here's my reasons why. Nancy KNEW what she was doing from the very beginning. Not only did she cheat on her own husband but the book made it clear she knew she didn't love Ian before even marrying him! She also betrayed her best friend in so many ways, she could've done the right(ish) thing and left Ian, cut ties with Olivia and her and Dominic could live happy. She was also the only person to murder someone AND nearly murder Smithy. Dominic is second because let's be real, he is a scumbag, although he cut ties with Olivia, Nancy was just that little bit more villainous by staying friends with her. Dominic threw Olivia under the bus to save his own name instead of just going through with a divorce like a sane person. He gaslit his daughter and used everyone around him for his own benefit. Dani is third because although she was only thinking of herself and her family, she had some reasons behind what she did whereas Nancy just wanted Dominic and Dominic just wanted to hide his past and keep his daughter (not thinking what would be best for her). However, Dani seemed to care about her image at work more than helping her sister, she was demanding A LOT of money to send her sister to the best, private rehab, but if she really wanted to help her, surely any rehab is better than no rehab? She really did everything for her own benefit whilst making it look like she's a caring sister, and all of this was for her. And instead of being there to support her family she spent her only free time following Olivia. Lastly I have placed jack because we dont really know that much about him, maybe my rating would be different if he didn't die and we found out the truth about him meeting Olivia; was it a setup? Or did he actually find love? But from what we know, he got murdered and shoved in a freezer, all because he wanted money from his ex-partner in crime / con-man. Truth be told I think he should've minded his own business and got on with his life. Yes it would be sad seeing someone you used to fraud people with be all fancy and rich but ... just move on. Don't get me wrong, he still is evil for stealing from old people but out of this list, I feel like the others did a lot worse - but would he have done worse if he didn't die? Maybe the beating and near death experience would've been a wake up call? Who knows.
Question seven: At the end of the book Olivia decides to 'mix up the pencils' and embrace the criminal label she was so desperate to shake off at the start of the book. Why do you think that is?
I believe it's because her mindset grew a lot during her time after release. When she was in prison it seemed like she kept thinking of the thought that people believed she was guilty and she tried to murder her husband, and therefore these people look at her in a different light. Although during her time seeking the truth I think she discovered that no matter what, some people will never believe she's innocent. She realises that being free and having her daughter (and the fact her daughter now knows she didn't try to murder her father) is better than chasing innocence. She's got her daughter back, got a lot of money and also managed to put her husband and 'best friend' in jail. The ending of the book surprised me as she embraces the criminal lifestyle, I think that's because during her fight to clear her name, she broke multiple laws and got away with it and also found out and multiple other people who do 'dirty' work and get away with it, she's starting to realise she can benefit from this type of behaviour - especially when it comes to blackmail.
Question eight: If you'd been sent to prison for five years how would you cope? What kind of strategies would you employ to survive the experience?
Honestly, I'm not sure. I know I'd like the fact they have a schedule in place. I wouldn't be able to cope with the food they serve! I think I'd try to keep my head low, attempt to make a few friends but also aim to show other inmates not to mess with me so I'm left alone.
Question nine: When people leave prison it's impossible for them to get back on their feet because of there way society treats them. Discuss?
I think society classes guilty people as untrustworthy. Although they might have been innocent (like Olivia) or they could've changed their mindset and behaviour, it is hard to accept this and move on after a crime has been committed. I see getting back on your feet is to become stable, get a job and a place to live but unfortunately I believe landlords / employers want to say away from 'criminals' incase they get back into bad habits and tarnish their name. No employer wants a headline like "man who worked at X stabbed women 45 times after shift" - you get me? I believe it's all down to a trust issue.
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